We asked ChatGPT to recommend some Canadian world music. Here’s what it told us
Last week, we asked ChatGPT to recommend some emerging Canadian folk artists for us.
We were curious to see what it would come up with, and while it employed a very liberal definition of the word “emerging,” we couldn’t argue with who it picked (Julian Taylor, Pharis and Jason Romero, Basia Bulat – you get the idea.)
We decided to run a few more queries just for fun. Because heck, who doesn’t want to credit a bot in their press kit?
OK, probably lots of people, but you have to admit, it’s kind of novel.
The bot seemed to struggle a lot more when we asked it for Canadian world music recommendations, which might speak to the problematic nature of the, ahem, “genre.”
When we removed the recommendations that had no connection to Canada, the ones that would surely get punted from the Juno’s global category (Sorry, Maria Dunn), and the ones that we couldn’t verify were actually real acts, here’s what we ended up with.
Again, I wouldn’t call some of these acts “emerging,” but then, I suppose I should just be happy that ChatGPT won’t be putting me out of a job any time soon.
- Sultans of String – This award-winning group blends world music genres such as Spanish flamenco, Arabic folk, and Gypsy-jazz into their own unique sound.
- Moskitto Bar – Led by Haitian-Canadian musician Paul Cargnello, Moskitto Bar mixes Haitian roots music with influences from around the world, including Latin, African, and Middle Eastern music.
- Autorickshaw – This Toronto-based group draws on Indian classical music, jazz, and funk to create their own distinct sound.
- Lemon Bucket Orkestra – This Toronto-based group draws on influences from Balkan, klezmer, and gypsy music to create a high-energy, eclectic sound that’s sure to get you dancing.
- OKAN – This Cuban-Canadian duo blends Afro-Cuban jazz with soul and funk, creating a unique and energetic sound.
